Book-holder.



A. E. WOOD.

BOOK HOLDER.

APPLIOATIOH mum um. 1912.

1 ,O35,290. Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

AP" CO.,WMHINCITON D c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANNA E. WOOD, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

BOOK-HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANNA E. WVoon, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Book-Holders, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to book supporting devices and is concerned moreespecially with an apparatus of a light and portable character which maybe used by a reader either in an inclined or an upright position so asto carry the weight of the book and at the same time position it in themost convenient manner.

One object contemplated by this invention is to provide a structure ofthe foregoing character which with lightness will combine sufficientrigidity and base area to in sure complete steadiness in the supportedbook, and at the same time provide adjustable means for determining thevertical location of the book and otherwise enable the apparatus to beeasily accommodated to books varying in size and weight.

Other objects are to provide in a structure as above outlined simple andeffective means adapted to coact with the covers of the book forretaining it in place, in combination 'with a means for holding the bookopen, of a nature readily yielding to a vertical general and localshifting to prevent any inconvenient obstruction of the printing, whileat the same time enabling the leaves to be progressively turned withfacility.

For the purpose of better promoting a complete disclosure of thisinvention, drawings exemplifying the same by way of a preferredembodiment thereof have been appended, and in such drawings likecharacters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views, of which Figure 1 is a general perspective depicting theapparatus as used by a reader in an upright position. Fig. 2 is asection taken through line o, o, of Fig. 1, showing a feature of themeans for adjusting the position of the base rail of the apparatus,convenience and simplicity being enhanced by the utilization offriction. Fig. 3 is a section through line on, w, of Fig. 1, showingfurther friction insuring means and also Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed January 24, 1912.

'well braced structure.

Patented Aug. 13, 1912.

Serial No. 673,462.

illustrating a preferred construction of the bottom rail whereby thecovers of the book may be better retained against displacement.

Continuing now by way of a more detailed description, the preferred formof this invention may be said to combine, first, a main rigid frameforming the principal support for the back of the book and preferablyprovided with widely spaced side legs or standards, second, africtionally adjustable base. rail for adjustably determining thevertical position of the lower edges of the covers of the book, third,means for retaining the covers flat-wise a ainst the main frame, andfourth, adjustable means for holding open the pages containing thereading matter.

The main frame is preferably formed of two uprising end rails 1 and 2 ofwood, the lower ends of which are preferably extended to form legs 3,which may be used for carrying the weight of the apparatus as bybridging or spanning the body of the reader and resting directly againsta part of the article of furniture occupied by the reader. It 1s to benoted that by reason of this construction, the reader is relieved of allweight whether sitting up or reclining, and thus the reading of bookswhether light or heavy may be comfortably done. For the purpose ofinsuring rigidity and at the same tune providing a backing against whlchthe covers of the book may rest, a plurality of transverse slats 4, 5,and 6 may be attached at their ends to the upper'portions of the 3 sidemembers, said slats being spaced apart about as shown, thus forming alight and These slats possess sufficient length so that books of venousproportions may be held, and by reason of this construction thesupportlng legs or standards are widely separated thereby providing awide base of support for the apparatus and insuring a correspondlng highdegree of stability.

The frictionally adjustable base rail proposed by this invention mayassume various forms, but that shown in the drawings combines witheffectiveness the elements of cheapness and simplicity. This elementconsists of the rail or cross member 7 positioned behind and in slidingfrlctional cont-act with the side members 1 and 2, said cross memberbeing long enough to project slightly from the side of each of said sidemembers. A second cross member 8 is also provided and is located forwardof the said side members 1 and 2 and slidably bears upon the same in asimilar manner. This cross member 8 is preferably some what narrowerthan the member 7 so that the strip portion 9 of the latter may projectupwardly beyond the top edge of the cross member 8, as shown by Figs. 2and 3, thereby providing a ledge for receiving the lower back margins ofthe covers of the book. In order that the lower edges of the covers ofthe book may better find a support against downward movement and at thesame time be restrained against lateral or forward movement, a secondstrip 10 is arranged between the cross strips 7 and 8, said strip 10being of such length as to terminate between the upright side members 1and 2. VVhile this strip may be secured to either of the cross members 7or 8, it is shown affixed to the latter and, in order to provide atransverse groove or seat 11 for receiving and retaining the lower edgesof the cover of the book, the strip 10 may be slightly narrower than thestrip 8. Instead of securing together two strips as aforesaid it will beapparent that a single piece of material provided with an edge retaininggroove in its upper portion may be used if desired. Inasmuch as it isproposed that this base rail may be easily adjusted to hold any positionon the uprising side members 1 and :2, the cross members 7 and 8 arepreferably secured together by some resilient means adapted to causethem to frictionally clamp such side members and thereby tend to retaintheir position. To this end, elas tic webbing 12, such as garter stockmay be employed and secured to the parts, as by means of suitable tacks13.

The cover retaining means preferably used in this device is exceedinglysimple and effective and merely consists of two bands of elastic fabric14: and 15 which pass over the top cross member 4 and the base railrespectively. Such bands being amply elastic, permit a verticaladjustment of the base rail and, by being passed over the inside facesof the covers of the book as shown by Fig. 1, suffice'to hold the lattersecurely in place, while yet enabling it to be easily interchanged withanother book whenever desired. It is noteworthy that the contractileforce of such bands is so applied as to tend to uplift the base rail,thus cooperating with the clamping friction in supporting the book.Furthermore, by this arrangement, the reader is enabled without effortto slide such rail up and down while reading, thus enabling the book tobe maintained in correct reading position.

The page holding means is also extremely simple and effective and merelyconsists of a band 16 of elastic fabric which-is stretched over theuprising side members 1 and 2 so as to pass over and hold flat the openpages I of the reading matter as shown. This band is sufliciently narrowso as not to unduly obstruct the reading matter, and its resiliencyenables it to be very easily slightly displaced up and down to clear thevision of any reading matter that may underlie it,

in case it is not desired to move the base rail.

For the purpose of assisting the reader in maintaining this apparatus inan inclined or upright position, a cord 17, having eyelets in its endsand adjustable in length, as by means of the loop and knot 18, may beused. The ends of this cord may be secured to hooks 19 and 20 located inupper portions of the frame and if desired other hooks such as 21 may beotherwise secured to other portions of the structure so that theconnection with the cord may be made at different points.

The mode of using and the advantages of this device will be quiteobvious from the foregoing. q

The elastic members for holding the book in position and for holding thebase rail are of such character that the user may readily raise or lowerthe base support to hold the book in the desired vertical position toaccommodate the vision of the reader. This is very convenient when longbooks are being used which require vertical adjustment to accommodatethe vision of the reader.

It will also be apparent that Various changes in detail and arrangementof the elements of this invention may be made in the light of thisdisclosure, without departing from the scope of the annexed claims.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. A book holder consisting of aframe attached to legs to span the body of the user and loosely restingupon the support of such user, said frame consisting of a rigid back anda base support formed of rails connected together and to the legs uponeach side thereof by elastic webbing and adapted to hold the same inselected adjusted position.

2. In an adjustable book holder, the combination of a frame havingrelatively spaced supporting legs and a back formed integral therewith,a transverse book supporting rail adjustably supported on the legs,adjustable means intermediate the frame and rail adapted to engage abook cover, adjustable means intermediate the legs adapted to engage thebook pages, and an adjustable cord secured to the frame and adapted toregulate the degree of inclina tion of the frame.

3. A book support of the nature disclosed combining a rigid frameadapted to support the back of a book and having Widely by said framefor holding fiat the pages spaced legs adapted to bridge the body ofcontaining the reading matter. 10 the reader, a transverse base railslidably In testimony whereof, I have hereunto supported adjacent itsends on said legs and set my hand.

adapted to support the lower edges of the ANNA E. WOOD. covers of abook, resilient means effective Witnesses: to elastically apply force tosaid base rail OLIVER B. KAISER, tending to uplift same, and meanscarried CLARENCE B. Fos'rnn.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

